Southampton v Yeovil FA Cup Preview and Prediction

Southampton host Yeovil in the FA Cup Fourth Round in their bid to get a cup run going. Read on for my preview and prediction including betting odds.

Southampton

The Saints will certainly be glad to be hosting the struggling Yeovil considering their recent injury concerns. Both Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez were stretchered off in their 2-2 draw against Sunderland. They could be available for Saturday’s match, but may not be risked considering their upcoming Premier League match against Arsenal.

In round three Southampton had taken a 2-0 first half lead over Burnley and looked to be cruising when they were pegged back to 2-2 early in the second half. While they then got back into the match to take a 3-2 lead, Burnley pushed it close at the end to make it 4-3. The worrying thing about the match was how often Southampton were dominating but then let off.

In their home matches this season Southampton has lost just three matches (all in the Premier League). They have also failed to score in just two of those matches, one a 0-0 draw against West Ham back in September and the other a 0-3 loss to Chelsea.

Yeovil

Yeovil are currently sitting in 23rd in the Championship which means that they could look at this match as either a springboard to gaining further results in the league, or a fixture that gets in their way. They have scored 21 goals while allowing 38 in the league for a 5-5-15 record for their 20 points.

They advanced to round four by defeating current League One leaders Leyton Orient by 4-0. In their away matches this season Yeovil has lost seven matches while winning just four in all competitions.

Prediction: Southampton 2 – 1 Yeovil

My pick is a Southampton win, but in a match that should be close. I do believe that Yeovil will go out to win this and look at it as a chance to get a cup run and build up some positive results.

While Southampton will most likely try to rest some players (particularly Lovren and Ramirez) they have more than enough quality to overcome Yeovil, especially up front. I think that Yeovil will struggle to cope with Southampton’s high tempo pressing, but should be able to score.